If your son's penis is uncircumcised you may have some questions regarding how to care for it in the first months or years of life. The foreskin of the penis is attached to the head of the penis for the first several months or years of your son's life. The foreskin naturally separates from the head of the penis (retraction) by the time your son is 5-10 years old. This process happens a little bit at time and should not be forced. Forcing the foreskin to retract can cause pain, bleeding or tears in the tissue.
Cleaning
For the first year of life you only need to clean the outside of your son's uncircumcised penis. You do not need to clean the penis with cotton swabs or antiseptic. Do not stick anything into the opening and do not try to retract the foreskin. Once the foreskin starts to separate you may gently retract the skin and clean the head of the penis with warm water then replace the skin back over the head. The white material (smegma) found under the foreskin is normal and can be washed away with weekly cleaning. This should be done weekly and once your son gets older and takes care of his own hygiene needs it should be done daily.